Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Sustainment (U)

(U) This category contains writeups about ICBM sustainment programs to include Minuteman III and ballistic missile replacement. ICBM systems (Peacekeeper and Minuteman III) provide both nuclear and non-nuclear strike options against fixed targets that are heavily defended or hardened. ICBMs with nuclear payloads are currently deployed in Missile Wings located throughout the CONUS. Non-nuclear ICBM payloads will be deployed at launch sites located on the Eastern Test Range (ETR) and the Western Test Range (WTR). High re-entry speeds and penetrating payloads deployed from ICBMs are effective against a broad range of heavily defended, high-value, and time critical targets (nuclear counterforce deterrence, buried command centers, and time-urgent targets that would be difficult to locate later). Historically high reliability of these systems will assure a capability to respond to sudden changes in the world environment, almost instantaneously.